NBC raised eyebrows last month when it announced that it would release the David Duchovny-fronted period drama’s entire season online immediately following the airing of its premiere episode — the first broadcast series to do so. The experiment paid off, according to NBC entertainment president Jennifer Salke.

“It’s no secret that the way people watch television is evolving,” she said in a statement. “So we took a unique approach to how we delivered Aquarius and it’s driven some record numbers for NBC Digital and helped us reach viewers who might have otherwise overlooked a great summer drama.”

Aquarius‘ traditional ratings have been lukewarm. Last week’s episode attracted 5.8 million viewers and a 1.2 rating in adults 18-49.